Dear Friends, Family, & Allies,
Thank you so much for your continued support on our crisis relief fund. With your help we have been able to raise over $65,000 and fill requests from all across New York State. In the past two weeks, we’ve been able to pay out $45,000 - which is amazing. But we’re also noticing that requests are coming in at a quick and steady rate. At this pace, we would be out of funds by next week. We started our crisis relief fund at the beginning of March, with the purpose that it would remain open indefinitely, providing relief funds to sex workers in crisis throughout the foreseeable future.
When the COVID-19 pandemic broke in New York City we pivoted, and began to raise funds with this crisis in mind. Not only have we provided cash stipends to over 200 sex workers, but we’ve also donated a lump sum to Red Canary Song, as well as provided housing for sex workers who were released from prison.
It was always our goal, however, to have a sustainable crisis relief fund that sex workers in New York could always apply to in times of need. We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to provide as much relief as we have, however, the rate at which we’ve been sending out funds is unsustainable. With that in mind, we’ve decided to restructure our fund to prioritize those most in need and most at risk. There will be some workers that don’t qualify for crisis relief funds. This is not because we don’t want to care for every person in our community, but simply a recognition that some workers have much more privilege than others, and more access to alternative forms of work, mutual care, and financial assistance.
Our new payout structure will categorize applicants based on their level of need and risk, and the immediacy with which they need emergency funds. We have also implemented caps for weekly stipends, as well as a wait-list so that no one gets left behind after our caps have been reached. With our new payout methods, we will have enough funding to provide stipends for another 20 weeks. During this time we will be creating a website for our fund, will be applying for grants and approaching monthly donors.
We again want to thank you for being with us on this journey, and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve our community in this way. We are still learning and growing, and collaborating with other well-established funds to ensure that our practices are safe, sustainable, and equitable. Please feel free to ask us any questions you may have, and applications can still be sent to brooklynswop@protonmail.com.
In Solidarity,
SWOP Brooklyn